Political Quotes

“yesterday the Supreme Court overturned the mandatory Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act. As of yesterday, the States now have a choice to expand or not expand coverage to the poorest people in society without being subjected to harsh Federal penalties. I would like to draw attention to a speech I gave on the Senate floor in December 2011 on the subject of the constitutionality of the Medicaid expansion. I expressed my concerns then about the potential impact of a Supreme Court decision on Medicaid expansion. I said on the floor that day: A Supreme Court ruling in favor of the States in this case could not only jeopardize the mandated Medicaid expansion in the Affordable Care Act but could challenge the fundamental structure of Medicaid and have broader implications outside of health care. The concerns I expressed then have, to a degree, come true. Reading from a Washington Post editorial this morning about the Court ruling on Medicaid: This restriction of federal authority may have greater ramifications than the court's limiting of the Commerce Clause. One can imagine challenges to federal conditions across a wide spectrum of programs, including but not limited to the environment, education and transportation. This decision overturns the mandatory expansion of the Medicaid Program. While I realize most of the focus is on the decision related to the tax mandate, we should spend a moment talking about the consequence of the Medicaid decision. Mr.…”